Thomas Brooks
[8.] Ministers must preach feelingly and experimentally, as well as by example. They must speak from the heart to the heart; they must feel the worth, the weight, the sweetness on their own souls of the things they give out to others. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the word of life (for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us); that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ” (1 Jn 1: 1-3). The highest mystery in preaching is for a man to feel what he speaks, and then speak what he feels.
It was said of Luther that he spoke as if he had been inside a man. A minister must so speak to the people as if he had lived in their very hearts, as if he had been told all the people’s needs and all their ways, all their
1Taken, with editing, from Brooks’ The Unsearchable Riches of Christ, in Works, vol 3. The previous three points appeared in the August issue.
sins and all their doubts. No preaching like this! No preachers like these!
Ministers should not be like Caesar’s soldier, who dug a fountain for Caesar but perished himself for lack of water. Yet there are many such in these days who draw water out of the wells of salvation for others and yet perish eternally themselves by not drinking of the waters of life. If they are monsters, and not to be named among men who feast their servants but starve their wives, then what monsters are they who feast other men’s souls with the dainties of heaven, but starve their own? No misery, no hell like this!
[9.] As ministers must preach the Word feelingly and experimentally, so they must preach the word rightly. They must divide and distribute the Word according to everyone’s spiritual condition. They must give comfort to whom comfort belongs, and counsel to whom counsel belongs, and reproof to whom reproof belongs, and terror to whom terror belongs.
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth,” or, word for word (2 Tim 2:15), rightly cutting into parts the word of truth (Is 40:1,2, 50:4; 2 Cor 5: 10-12). Some say the metaphor is taken from the priests of the Old Testament who, having slain the beasts that were to be sacrificed, did divide them in a precise way. Others say it is a metaphor taken from a cutter of leather, who cuts off what is superfluous when he cuts out reins and thongs. So in handling the Word, questions that are superfluous and unprofitable ought to be cut off, and only what makes for the hearer’s instruction, edification and consolation is to be held forth. Others say the metaphor is taken from the cutting and squaring out streets and highways, and setting out the bounds of men’s lands and possessions. Others, by cutting the Word of truth aright, understand the raising of right instructions, by following the rule of the Word, only as a ploughman that cuts a right furrow in the ground.
To divide the Word aright is to cut out, says Calvin and others, to every one his portion, as a parent cuts out bread for his children, or a cook meat to his guests. A general doctrine not applied is, to the people, as a sword without an edge; because of their own great weakness, they are not able to apply it to their own conditions; or as a whole loaf set before children, it will do them no good. A garment which fits everybody is fit for nobody, and that which is spoken to all is taken as spoken to none.
Doctrine is but the drawing of the bow, application is the hitting of the mark. How many are wise in general things, but vain in their practical inferences! Such preachers are fitter for Rome than England. Souls may go sleeping and dreaming to hell before such preaching, before such preachers will awaken them and show them their danger. O that therefore the people were so wise as to apply all to their own souls when sin is reproved, judge-
ments threatened, miseries promised and Christ freely and fully offered! This is the misery of many in our days; they come to sermons as beggars come to banquets, carrying away with them nothing but the scraps.
[10.] They must preach the word acceptably, as well as rightly. “The preacher sought to find out acceptable words [or words of delight, as the Hebrew is]; and that which was written was upright, even words of truth” (Ecc 12:10). Ministers’ words should be divinely desirable; they should divinely please and divinely profit; they should divinely take both ear and heart. A minister should be a weighty speaker; he should clothe his doctrine in such a lovely dress that he may by it slide unnoticed into his hearers’ hearts.
Ministers should clothe their matter with suitable words. The leaves give some beauty to the tree. Good matter in unseemly language is like a bright taper in a dirty candlestick, or like a fair body in unhandsome clothes, or like a gold ring on a leprous hand. Aaron’s bells were golden bells, sounding pleasantly, not as sounding brass or tinkling cymbals. Holy eloquence is a gift of the Holy Ghost (Acts 18:24) and, as well as other gifts of the Spirit, may doubtless be made useful to set forth divine truth and catch souls by craft, as the Apostle speaks (2 Cor 12:16). Surely it may be made use of as an Egyptian jewel to adorn the tabernacle. Lactantius2 has well observed that philosophers, orators and poets were therefore very pernicious, in that they easily ensnared incautious minds with sweetness of speech. Therefore his advice is, even in delivering the truth of Christ, to sweeten the speech to win them to Christ, who will not hear or read or value or regard the truth unless it is polished and trimmed up in a lovely dress.
[11.] As they must preach the word acceptably, so they must preach the word constantly. They must not lay down the Bible to take up the sword, as some have done for worldly advantages (1 Cor 7:10,24); they must not leave the word to serve tables (Acts 6:1), as others have done for the same reason; they must continue in their places and employments; they must neither change their work nor their master: “But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the Word” (Acts 6:4). They would not assign their charge to some surrogates or deputies so that they might live at ease.
No, they were peremptorily resolved to hold on, to continue in these two choice duties: prayer and ministry of the Word. So Paul: “Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come” (Acts 26:22); “Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them [spend thy time in them], that thy profiting may appear to all [or in all things]. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in
2A Christian writer who died around 320 AD.
them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (1 Tim 4:15,16), “But continue thou [abide, keep thy station] in the things which thou hast learned, and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them” (2 Tim 3:14). “Moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs” (Ecc 12:9).